September 2019 - HempWire

MondaySep 30, 2019 4:00 pm

Western US Farmers Scramble to Harvest Hemp as Early Snow Sets In

Early-season stormy weather is threatening to ruin the hemp fields in the Western states, and this risk has prompted farmers to scramble to harvest as much of their hemp crop as they can before about 50 inches of snow are dumped on their fields. Jamie Fitterer, the proprietor of Montana Hemp Co., says that farmers around Montana are “freaking out” and are in triage doing whatever they can to salvage their best hemp plants. He goes on to say that he and other farmers in Montana had embarked on harvesting their hemp and preparing the outdoor drying areas where the…

MondaySep 30, 2019 9:00 am

Canadian Company Clinches Deal to Grow 17,000 Acres of Hemp in China

A Toronto-based cannabis company announced on Tuesday that it had signed an agreement with a Chinese partner allowing the Canadian company to grow and process industrial hemp on 17,000 acres in China. Pure Global Cannabis, the Canadian company, signed this agreement with a Chinese company called KMT-Hansa Corp. KMT currently holds licenses to grow and process hemp on 17,000 acres in China, and they are teaming up with Pure Global to pull it off. Under the terms of the agreement, Pure Global will be responsible for providing the technology, know-how and the plant genetics required for the success of the…

FridaySep 27, 2019 4:00 pm

Nebraska Company Completes Work on Innovative Hemp Harvester

Agri-Products, Inc. has completed building from scratch an innovative hemp harvester that the company hopes will reduce the labor demand of the hemp industry at the time of harvesting the plants. This prototype that is now ready to be tested became possible after the company secured a Value-Added Prototype grant to the tune of $18,875 from York County, Nebraska. The innovators also worked closely with the York County Development Corp. during this project. Because Nebraska doesn’t currently regulate the farming equipment used in the hemp industry, Agri-Products, Inc. is taking its creation to Oregon for the necessary field testing activities.…

FridaySep 27, 2019 9:00 am

Hemp Sports Car Set to Revolutionize the Auto Industry

Did you know it's possible to make a flashy sports car with industrial hemp? In 1941, Henry Ford pioneered the concept of making plant-based vehicles, which were set to revolutionize the automotive industry. However, this wasn’t taken any further, until this year when the first hemp car rolled off the production line. The founder and CEO of Renew Sports Cars, Bruce Dietzen, flagged off the first hemp-bodied sports car. The sports car is made from three plies of woven hemp instead of using the fibreglass in-car panelling. The hemp composites are considered viable substitutes because they have the most significant…

ThursdaySep 26, 2019 4:00 pm

Hemp Experts Unhappy with Current THC Testing Protocols

The existing THC testing protocols in a number of states have not gone down well with hemp experts. This conclusion was due to an incident where farmers in Colorado had to destroy 741 acres of hemp in 2018 because it exceeded the state’s regulatory THC limit. The experts mentioned that the THC testing standard in Colorado was meaningless since the state only tested the first two inches of the plant and yet products were made from the entire plant, or a mix of different parts. The testing procedure, which requires only the top two inches to be tested, doesn't make…

ThursdaySep 26, 2019 9:00 am

Customers Bank Opens Doors to Hemp Businesses in Pennsylvania and New York

Customers Bank, a commercial bank based in Wyomissing in Pennsylvania, has announced that it will start doing business with hemp and hemp-based companies within Pennsylvania and New York. The bank said that it would provide all banking services, including mobile and online banking, commercial checking, bank fraud protection and wire transfers. The only condition that the bank is imposing is that those businesses should comply with the applicable state laws for the industry. The decision has been welcomed by many hemp businesses, especially startups, who said that they were relieved that Customers Bank was giving them an opportunity to grow…

WednesdaySep 25, 2019 4:00 pm

Hemp Road Tour Provides Details About Hemp Industry in Florida

The Clermont stop of the hemp road tour organized by the Hemp Industries Association of Florida (HIAF) provided an opportunity for the attendees to learn what form the state hemp production guidelines will take. The first piece of information that was shared had to do with how soon growers, processors and other industry actors can apply and get permits from the state. Helen Miller, who works with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, told the people attending that the hemp rules will be ready before the year ends and the permitting process will then start. She revealed that…

WednesdaySep 25, 2019 9:00 am

Hemp Specialist Gives Highlights of Indiana’s Growing Season Thus Far

Recently, Indiana was in the news when a federal judge ruled that it was unconstitutional for the state to ban smokable hemp. This week, a hemp expert at Purdue University Extension talked to the media and gave highlights of the production season so far. We captured the most salient issues. Planting Challenges The heavy rains in May and June made it hard for most farmers to get their crops in the ground, and many reported to the state authorities that they were forced to plant close to the end of July. The northern areas of the state were particularly affected…

TuesdaySep 24, 2019 4:00 pm

Vermont Innovator Makes Unique, Durable and Environmentally Friendly Hemp Guitars

When you hear the word hemp, your mind may immediately rush to cannabidiol (CBD), paper, and maybe clothing. However, one entrepreneur wants to make hemp musical instruments, particularly guitars, the next big thing that can be made from this versatile plant. Jay Burstein, the owner and founder of BugOut Guitars based in Randolph, Vermont, is the man who wants to transform the musical instrument industry so that manufacturers switch to using hemp. Burstein is quick to admit that he isn’t a hemp farmer and isn’t so much taken up by agriculture, but he was fascinated by hemp fiber and that…

TuesdaySep 24, 2019 9:00 am

South Carolina Hemp Arrest Triggers Legal Chaos

On Thursday, a hemp farmer was arrested in South Carolina for allegedly growing the plants illegally and the action of the state has ignited a legal battle which has sucked in farmers, lawmakers, prosecutors and state agencies. John Trenton Pendarvis is a licensed hemp farmer who realized that he had made an error when providing the GPS coordinates of his farm to state agriculture authorities. When he attempted to correct that error, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture referred his case to the State Law Enforcement Division for enforcement action. SLED agents promptly arrested Pendarvis and mowed down his entire…